CMC owner jailed for staging crashes to profit from claims

A claims farmer who passed cases on to law firms knowing they were fake has been jailed for seven and a half years. Sajid Rasheed, who ran the CMCs Britain Claim Services and Briton Rentals UK, planned road traffic collisions to then refer them onto solicitors firms for a fee.

Both companies referred personal injury claims, hire claims and vehicle damage claims, with Rasheed tricking a doctor registered to the General Medical Council to validate the injury cases.

Rasheed, 49, from West Drayton, was sentenced in his absence last Friday at the Inner London Crown Court following a three-year investigation by the City of London’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department. He absconded while he was on trial, failed to attend court and is still at large. He had been charged with three counts of conspiracy to defraud, one count of possession of a false passport and two counts of money laundering

A second man, Lutfullah Lutfullah, 32 and from Slough, was sentenced to three years imprisonment and a four and a half year driving disqualification on two counts of conspiracy to defraud.

The court heard that Lutfullah would stage accidents and provide Rasheed with insurance details which they could pass to solicitors’ firms to start a claim.

The first crash dated back to February 2013 when four people claimed after an accident. Following an investigation by the insurer it was established that none of the passengers making a claim were even in the car.

The case was referred to City of London police for criminal investigation and items were seized in a search of Rasheed’s home and business address in June 2014. Rasheed was later arrested in September 2014.

A spokesman for the fraud enforcement department said: ’We have worked closely with other government agencies, insurers and the solicitors and drivers who were targeted by Rasheed’s fraudulent referrals. We would like to thank them for their co-operation in this case and helping us to bring the case to court.

’This group of criminals worked together with no consideration for the consequences of their actions. They placed financial gain above the safety and wellbeing of other motorists and pedestrians.'